Wake Up to a Beautiful View

What’s on the wall opposite your bed? What you see there is important… it may be the last thing you see before falling asleep and the first thing you see when you wake. It may set the tone of your dreams and influence your mood the next day.

In designing our new master bedroom, John and I chose to place large windows in the wall opposite the bed. I knew that the orientation of our new bedroom had potential to provide a nice view — of trees in our back garden, and trees between the houses of our backyard neighbors (but not of our backyard neighbor houses).

As Jack demonstrates for us,

when we wake up in front of these windows…

we never grow tired of looking at this framed masterpiece.

When John and I met with clients Lynn and Stephen to redesign their master bedroom suite, this was what was on the wall opposite their bed.

We asked why they chose this piece of art for the bedroom and if it was significant to them. Lynn said she did not really like the painting; they “won it” at a charity auction, and felt they should hang it somewhere. That’s how it ended up in the bedroom.

I was relieved to hear this, hopeful to change the blazing street scene for something that may offer our clients a more restful end and restorative start to their days.

We recommended new artwork — something meaningful to them that they would both enjoy. We suggested they shop together for a piece of artwork during an upcoming trip to Arizona.

This not only sounded like a great idea to Lynn, but a familiar one. She said for years they had looked at artwork, but could never agree on a painting to purchase.

Lynn also liked the idea that the southwest could be an inspiration for the bedroom decor, because it is a part of the country she and Stephen are fond of and have travelled to for years.

So, while Lynn and Stephen went to Arizona, Jack and I got busy pulling together carpet and fabrics…

I encouraged their interest in the photographer and cast my vote for Catalina Sunset. The colors in the photo looked great with the sample board we put together for the room (something I couldn’t say about the old artwork).

So that is how the artwork on their wall was transformed from a fantastically colored street scene

into a fantastic Arizona sunset.

We provided Lynn with design guidance on the size of the photo, selection of the mat and frame, and where to position it on the wall.

When the photograph was in place, I told Lynn and Stephen how pleased John and I were that this was something they chose for themselves, together, and not something we chose for them.

It was then that Lynn told us that this is a view they are very familiar with; they even recognize the cactus. Having often hiked the Catalina mountain trails, they have stood in front of the large saguaro cactus many times, together.